Death At The Belmoral Mine In Val D'or Qc. Canada Poem by Paul Henry Dallaire

INTRODUCTION

The Belmoral mine disaster occurred at, or about 22: 00 hours on May 20,1980 in the Ferderber mine, located 10 km north-east of the town of Val D'Or. Quebec.
The mine started development in October of 1978, and had been in production since August 1979.
The principle mining method was shrinkage stoping, with the possibility of sub-level stoping for wider Or zones.
The development of the mine consisted of a trackless access ramp from surface at a grade of 17%, connecting four levels at 100,200,250 and 500 feet depth.
There were eight stopes at the time: four in production on the 200 level; two in production on the 350 level.
Twenty four miners were working underground during the evening of the disaster, eight of whom lost their lives: sixteen narrowly escaped serious injury or death.

Le 20 Mai 1980: Catastrophe a la mine Belmoral, situee a quelque kilometres au Sud de Val D'Or.
Lefondrement du toit de la mine provoque le deversement de millers de tonnes d'eau at de boue. Huit mineurs perissent ensevelis, Vinght ans plus tard ce triste evenement demeure grave dans la memoire de Sylvain et Lise Legare et de Jean Paul Bordeleau, qui a vecu de pres ce drame.

Cette chanson est un temoignage a la memoire de:

Lucien Belanger
Guy Daigle
Guy Desruisseaux
Marc Godbout
Gille Legare
Normand Masse
Yvan St-Pierre
Marcel Vienneau

Death at the Belmoral mine in Val D'Or. P.Q.1980
(Men of no tomorrows)

T'was Tuesday the twentieth of may
Nineteen eighty was the year
The miners of Belmoral gold mine
That morning went down with their gear

Their work place a dark damp burrough
Where only the brave dare to try
Like the sun never shines in a hollow
Down there it's as black as the night

The officials claimed it was inspected
Tho no one seemed to know when
Gold stock was high on the market
So they gambled the lives of their men

They spoke of the grave situation
And heard the earth tremble and quake
The new road was under construction
To drill was a fatal mistake

Some say they heard an explosion
Some said they really don't know
The fact is it's too late to reason
For the eight men entombed there below

On tuesday may twenty seventh
A cry was heard it was said
The rescue attempt was doubled
In a frenzy to search for their friends

They tried but in vain for to reach them
For the slime kept pourring inside
Two weeks in that cold dark dungeon
They all were doomed there to die

Now mothers and fathers and relations
Will grieve for the rest of their lives
For the miners on shift who descended
In the depth of the Belmoral Mine

This song has been executed
By a hard rock miner who knows
Your chances are less than expected
And a man don't reap what he sows

Now young fellas heed to my story
If your lured by the lust of the mine
Your body will dust and turn into dust
And your future will run short of time

Paul Henry Dallaire
Paul Henry Pub.
SOCAN

For historical value:

This song was recorded in or about July or August of 1980 not long after the disaster and the song was finished being written.
It was recorded at Snocan recording Studio on Hollylane Blvd, Ottawa, Ontario.Canada.

The musicians were: (If I can remember correctly) were as follows:

Dave Dennison: Lead guitar and producer of the song
Sam Henry: Played the drums beating his drum sticks on the piano or something (Chuckle)
Rick Evans provided second part harmony where needed.
Dusty King Jr. played electric bass.
Paul Henry Dallaire played his Ovation stereo flat-top rhytm guitar.

It was on the same session as 'King of the Ottawa city Cowboys' the 'Cornwall Ontario song' and 'Death of the New York Central'#1 as you can tell the music is the same.